Paper Mario: The Infamous Stone
by UniqaChica
Summary: All new partners, enemies, and mysteries unfold in this total fan-sequel to the Paper Mario series.
1. Intro

(A/N: Hi. I've been writing this story for a while now, before I even knew what fan fiction was, but it was all in the form of how it would appear in the video game, if it was ever made into one. I've now decided to re-write this as a novelization, with details and actual dialogue and all that jazz. This is my own Paper Mario story, if they ever made a next one (I'm really hoping they do!). I've written a couple video game fics before, but never one for Mario, so cut me a little slack if it stinks. I will admit I'm not a video game junkie, but I love Mario like nobody's business. Okay, enough of this very long author's note. Let's get on with this! P.S. Despite stupid spell check, mage is indeed a word! You can check in the dictionary! Spell check is just stupid. Just wanted to get that off my chest.)

Summary: All new partners, enemies, and mysteries unfold in this total fan-sequel to the Paper Mario series.

Disclaimer: If I owned the Mario franchise, I would most likely be A.) a multi-millionaire, and/or B.) Japanese. Since I am neither of these things by any stretch, I do not own Mario. *snugglehz Toad plushie pathetically*

Paper Mario: The Infamous Stone

A Mario Fanfic

by Jill Diamond

~Intro~

_Ahem! Today...I am going to tell you the story of the Infamous Stone. A long time ago, there was a small town far away from the Mushroom Kingdom. In this town, there was a town fool, who told tales that would make your tail twitch. One day, he gathered everyone around to tell them about a mythical stone said to give it's wielder great and unmatchable power. Four greedy mages caught this in the uproar and went into the woods to search for the stone themselves. Which did not exist. When they had all found what they assumed was the stone, they cast magic upon it to make it their own, so that no one else could have it's power. But they all had their eyes on the same stone. The stone was exposed to much too much magic. It let off a sample of its power, destroying the four mages and the entire town. Hundreds of years later, the stone still remained in hiding, absorbing bits of remaining magic from spells and slowly increasing its power. But no one ever found it..._

We begin our story on a starry night in a town known as Galesville, far from the Mushroom Kingdom. A trademark Galesville gale rustled through a Princess Peach's long blond hair. She sighed and gazed in wonder at the view from her balcony. A stuffy Toad came out from their high penthouse suite to join her.

"Ah, it will be nice to return to the Mushroom Kingdom after all these new faces, won't it Princess?"

"Yes, Toadsworth," she replied without looking at him. "But discovering all these new places has been fun. I can't wait to tell Mario and Luigi about them." She rested a gloved hand on her stomach, acknowledging its soft rumble. "Hmm...Toadsworth, are you hungry? Why don't you go order room service?"

The elderly Toad used the hand that wasn't carrying his staff to repeat much of the same action.

"Yes, I am feeling a little peckish myself. I'll call downstairs and see what they have." His small, round feet returned him to the penthouse, and Peach resumed her stargazing.

"_Well, hello, my fair countrymen,_" she heard from inside, though she didn't think much of it. _It's probably just the bellhop or somebody._

"_I SAY!_" Toadsworth cried out. Peach heard him struggling, and his voice being attempted to gag. She started getting worried. "_PRINCESS!_"

At this, the blond princess got up from her seat and rushed back into the room.

"Toadsworth?" she called.

"So, Princess. Did you have a nice vacation?" a sickeningly sweet voice asked. Peach's eyes shot across the room to see a woman much older than her, but that was only apparent in her sunken cheeks and dark eye circles. She was terribly thin, almost to be called "lanky". She had bright pink hair in a pixie cut, and a matching feather boa draped around her shoulders. Her eyes looked directly at Peach, vicious and power-hungry. Beside her were two short men with disinterested countenances and loincloths wrapped around them. Each one wielded a spear, and one of them held a burlap sack that seemed to be struggling against his grip.

"W-who are you? And h-how did you g-get in here?" Peach tried her best not to let them know she was afraid, but she failed.

"THAT is none of your business, Princess," the woman spat, losing her sugar-coated tone. "Now, there are two ways we can do this. You can come with us peacefully, or you can end up in a bag like your fungus friend."

Peach's heart could only ache as she listened to Toadsworth's muffled protests.

"...Why should I go with you?" she eventually piped up.

"Because if you don't, we use your little Mushroom for Piranha Plant bait."

The princess remained silent.

"Well?"

Peach knew that wasn't going to work in the long run, but...

"...If it helps Toadsworth...I'll go."

The mysterious woman's face cracked a wicked smile.

"Excellent. I knew Catster made the right choice. Rats?"

The man on her left saluted, while the one on the right _attempted _to salute, but, since he had no free hand, ended up whacking his head.

She turned her head and spoke to each one in turn.

"You! Go take that bag out to the ship and lock it up tight! We don't need a resistance forming. And you! Make sure the princess is safe and sound when it's time to leave port. And don't let her out of your sight!

"Yes, MA'AM!" they shouted in unison. The Rat with Toadsworth in tow lumbered out the door, while the other walked up to Peach and planted a firm grip on her arm.

"Act natural. Make any attempt to run away, and you'll regret it," he whispered ominously. And with that, he dragged her out of the room.

When the mysterious woman was alone, she said pompously to herself, "There is no way anyone can stop us now!"


	2. Mario Bro House

(A/N: Just a quick note – I know that some people do these novelizations of Mario games, and they try to make it dramatic and serious, but I see Mario stuff as more quirky and humorous, so I'm going to put that into this story. Just wanted to make that clear.)

~Mario Bro. House~

It was a bright morning. Luigi was already awake, and he hovered over his skillet with great concentration as he cooked his omelet.

"Easy does it now..." he murmured to himself as he attempted to fold it perfectly with his spatula. But all of a sudden, the words "MAIL CALL!" startled his ears and he clenched his wrist, creating a large gash in his egg masterpiece.

"Oh..." he groaned in annoyance. He switched off the oven and unnecessarily dusted his hands off before walking outside to get the mail.

"Hello, Luigi!" Parakarry called jauntily.

"Parakarry, you have GOT to tone your voice down a couple of notches when we get a letter. You made me ruin my omelet!" the green-clad bro complained playfully. He leaned his elbow on the mailbox.

"Oops! Sorry!" The Paratroopa scratched behind his head nervously. "Well, in any case, I have a letter here from the princess!" He pulled a pink envelope from his bag and handed it to Luigi. "Another letter duly delivered."

Luigi repeatedly turned the letter over with a smile.

"Great! Princess Peach has been away for so long; we've been hoping she would send a letter!"

"Well, I'd better be off then!" Parakarry straightened his pilot's hat and flew back over the trees in the direction of Toad Town. With that, Luigi walked back into the small house. He smiled at the sight of his older brother lumbering sleepily into the kitchen in his red striped pajamas. He rubbed his droopy eyes and his signature mustache was in complete disarray. He walked like a zombie.

"Hey, bro, Parakarry has GOT to pipe down."

"Tell me about it. Hey, we got a letter from Princess Peach!"

"Mm...later..." Mario grumbled.

"No, no, no. Princess first. Need I remind you she's been out of the Mushroom Kingdom for quite some time now, and has told us nothing? Here, I'll just read it to you. How's that sound?" The younger brother took his seat at the kitchen as Mario popped some bread into the toaster. "Ahem! Now, let's see here..."

_Dear Mario Bros.,_

_I am having a wonderful time traveling to new lands outside the Mushroom Kingdom (as Toadsworth suggested). Most recently, I have come across the small but charming town of Galesville. The hotel here is actually quite high end. I will be back tomorrow, though, and tell you two everything, I promise!_

_-Peach_

Luigi turned the envelope over to reference the postdate.

"Hey, bro? This letter was sent three days ago."

Mario's eyes popped wide open and he forgot about his toast.

"Three _days_?" he echoed.

"You...you don't think anything happened to her, do you, bro?" the younger brother quivered.

"Nuh uh," Mario answered a little too quickly, though he didn't sound entirely sure.

Luigi laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, she probably just stopped for a soda or something..." There was a silence of paranoia between them before the older brother made a nonchalant suggestion.

"I guess it wouldn't be such a bad idea to head out to this...Galesville and check up on the princess, would it?"

Luigi internally sighed from relief.

"Actually, that is an excellent idea! And I'll be waiting here, as usual." Luigi always felt a little neglected whenever Mario went off on his adventures, but hey, someone had to make sure the house didn't catch fire. Plus, he _did _have that adventure of his own not too long ago with the Waffle Kingdom...

(A/N: I think this chapter was lacking slightly, since it was mostly dialogue. Oh well. Next one will be better, since we actually start the adventure then!)


	3. Prologue: Part 1

~Prologue: A Closet Kidnapping~

~Part One~

"GALESVILLE! GALESVILLE!"

Mario was startled out of his well-deserved nap by the train conductor. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. It turned out Galesville was far more than a hop, skip, and a jump from the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario had taken two boats, a warp pipe, a very slow Bullet Bill, and now a train. Needless to say, he was dog tired, but he was finally here. He stepped off the stuffy locomotive and took in his surroundings.

The majority of Galesville was made up of small, cozy cottage houses and warm, inviting shops and businesses. The posh hotel, rising at least ten stories, stuck out like a sore thumb. The civilians were generally predictable – Toads, Goombas, Lakitus, and the occasional Koopa. The whole town was surrounded by a thick ring of trees, and was only navigational by a windy string of dirt paths.

Since he had no reason to ask for directions, Mario headed straight for the conspicuous hotel, only to be knocked straight to the ground mere feet from the entrance.

"_GOOMBRIEL! Darling, where are you?_"

Mario grabbed at his thumping head, and just lay on the dirt pitifully.

"_Oh, dear me! I am so sorry young man!_" he heard the rambunctious voice say over him. "_OH! I'd know that mustache anywhere! You're Mario, aren't you?_"

He opened his eyes and looked at the slightly elderly she-Goomba standing over him. She had fluffy hair and a very expensive dress on, and her eyes filled with worry. He staggered to get back on his feet.

"Uh, y-yes ma'am."

"You've come at the nick of time! My little Goombriel has gone missing!" Before Mario could respond, the woman took a dramatic pose and wailed, "I know, it's tragic!"

"Well, ma'am, I would love to help, if you'd like."

"Oh, I know! Do you think you could watch over the hotel for me while I'm gone? I have to round up a search party and my husband and I have to be on the front line! Could you, please?"

Mario thought he would fall over. _Hotel-sitting? _he thought. _I've defeated Bowser at least a hundred times! I've defied logic! I've saved the world more than anybody I know! This is degrading to my reputation! _But not wanting to sound conceited, he dutifully agreed.

"Oh, excellent! I'll be in the town square if you must speak with me!" And with that, she pranced off to find her search party. Mario blew a slow breath, and walked into the hotel with his hands shoved in his pockets.

The hotel was even fancier on the inside than it was out. It made the inn at Poshley Heights he had stayed at not too long ago look like a shack. Every little thing was gold-plated, and the chrome-finished floor for the first time made Mario wary about the mud on his shoes. Luckily, he didn't track anything, and he headed for the elevator. He practically punched the "10" button with his thumb, and tried not to let himself break out into a dangerous sweat on the way up. He concentrated on the muzak that gently flowed through the speakers.

_She'll be fine. She'll be fine. Everything's alright._

When he reached the top, he couldn't help but speed walk to the penthouse suite, and his heart rate dangerously increased when he found the door open.

_Stay calm. Calm. Calm._

He was expecting to find the entire room trashed, with bedspreads strewn across the floor and chairs overturned. But the suite looked just as if the maid had come through, with everything perfect and spotless.

He leaned himself against the wall and drew a deep breath.

_Okay, Mario. This is good. It means she isn't here. She's on her way back home. Don't get your overalls in a bunch._

He would have continued to silently pep talk himself, if it wasn't for the muffled cries of freedom coming from a nearby broom closet.

"_Hey! *THUMP THUMP THUMP* Get me outtah here! Hel-LO! Is someone out there? I heard your feet walk! Hello?"_


End file.
